Prosecutors investigating Greeks on Panama Papers lists

Financial prosecutors have started sending requests to judicial authorities in Panama, seeking the full details of Greek shareholders in or managers of offshore companies included in the Panama Papers, a leaked list of confidential documents compiled by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

A Greek team of investigators has started probing the assets of several Greeks who have been linked to the Panama Papers, including Stavros Papastavrou, who was an adviser to conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras.

Among the thousands of offshore firms named in the Panama Papers are 223 offshore companies and foundations managed by Greeks. A key challenge for Greek prosecutors is to determine who are the real beneficiaries of the firms.

It remains unclear how helpful the Panamanian prosecutors will be as similar requests lodged in the past have not elicited the sought-after...